AI video generator pricing, explained: model costs, markups and how to compare tools
Why AI video tools cost what they do: what Veo, Seedance and Kling charge per second, what a markup is, the four ways tools price model access, and a five-step way to compare any two tools fairly.
AI video is expensive for a real reason. A few seconds of footage from a top model takes a lot of computing, and the companies that train these models charge by the second. Then most of the tools you'd actually use put their own price on top, usually in a currency of their own, which makes it hard to see what you're paying for. This guide walks through where the money goes and how to compare two tools on equal terms.
Quick disclosure: we make Hermoso, an AI marketing agent and AI ad generator, so we have a side. The method below works whatever tool you end up using.
The short answer
The price of an AI video tool has two parts: what the model maker charges to run the model, and what the tool adds on top. The first part is public, and it's usually priced per second of video. The second part is the markup. To compare tools fairly, turn both into dollars for the same clip: same model, same length, same resolution, with or without sound.
What the model makers charge
These are API prices per second of finished video as of October 2026, rounded. They change often, and mostly downward, so treat them as a snapshot. Each model supports its own clip lengths; the 8-second column is there so you can compare like for like.
| Model | Maker | Per second | 8 seconds | Sound |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veo 3.1 | $0.40 | $3.20 | Yes | |
| Veo 3.1 Fast | $0.10 | $0.80 | Yes | |
| Veo 3.1 Lite | $0.05 | $0.40 | Yes | |
| Seedance 2.5, 720p | ByteDance | about $0.23 | about $1.85 | Yes |
| Seedance 2.5, 1080p | ByteDance | about $0.57 | about $4.60 | Yes |
| Seedance 2.0 Fast, 720p | ByteDance | about $0.12 | about $0.97 | Yes |
| Kling 3.0 | Kuaishou | about $0.14 | about $1.12 | Yes |
| Gemini Omni | about $0.10 | about $0.82 | Yes | |
| Hailuo 2.3 | MiniMax | about $0.05 | about $0.38 | No |
Images are far cheaper. Nano Banana 2.1 makes an image for about 4 cents, GPT Image 2.5 for about 5 cents and Nano Banana Pro for about 13 cents. A voiceover from an ElevenLabs model is about 8 to 10 cents per 1,000 characters, so a 30-second script costs a few cents. Each model has its own page in our video model list if you want the details. To see what those prices buy, we ran one ad prompt on ten of these models: 10 AI video models, one prompt.
Why AI video tools are so expensive
You pay by the second
Every second of output is generated, frame by frame. A 30-second ad costs about thirty times as much as a 1-second clip, and most video ads last 15 to 30 seconds.
Resolution multiplies it
1080p has 2.25 times the pixels of 720p, and models that price by output size charge for every one of them. Seedance 2.5 goes from about $0.23 a second at 720p to about $0.57 at 1080p. Always check which resolution a headline price is quoted at. For tests on a phone screen, 720p is often plenty; save 1080p for the version you'll actually run.
Retakes
The first render is rarely the keeper. A hand moves strangely, the product label smears, the line is read with the wrong energy. Budget two or three takes for every shot you plan to use, and ask whether a tool charges for renders that fail.
Sound
Models that generate dialogue and room sound in the same pass as the picture, like Veo 3.1, Seedance 2.5 and Kling 3.0, cost more than silent ones. They often save money overall, though, because you skip a separate voiceover and lip-sync step.
The markup
On top of all that sits the tool's own price. That's the part that varies most from tool to tool, and the part that's hardest to see.
What an AI model markup is
A markup is the gap between what a tool charges you for a model run and what the model maker charges the tool. If a clip costs $3.20 to run and a tool charges you $6.40 for it, that's a 2x markup: you pay double the model price.
A markup isn't sinister. Tools pay for card processing, fraud, renders that fail, storage, support and the people who build them, and they need to make a profit. The problem is that it's usually invisible. Most plans sell an allowance in their own unit, so you can't see that one clip costs twice what it would at the source, and you can't tell whether a plan that looks cheaper actually is.
The four ways tools price model access
1. A subscription with an allowance
A monthly plan buys a pool of units, and each model costs some number of them. It's easy to budget for and hard to compare. Check whether unused allowance rolls over or expires, and what topping up costs.
2. Pay per generation
A fixed price per image or per clip. Clear per item, but check what "a clip" means: the length, the resolution and whether sound is included.
3. Bring your own key
You paste in your own API key from the model maker and the tool charges a flat fee for the software. You pay the model price directly, but you manage an account and a bill with each maker, and you may lose whatever the tool did to pick the right model or recover from a failed render.
4. Straight from the model maker
Use the maker's own API or app. It's the lowest price per second, but you get a raw clip: no script, no brand, no edit, no publishing. That's fine for a developer and a lot of assembly for a marketer.
Hermoso is a monthly plan with no markup on models, which is our attempt at the ease of the first option at the price of the last two.
How to compare two AI video tools fairly
- Pick one reference clip. Same model, length, resolution and sound on both tools. For example, an 8-second Veo 3.1 clip with sound.
- Find what it costs at the source. From the table above, $3.20.
- Find what it costs on each tool, in dollars. Work out how many of those clips a plan covers and divide the plan price by that number. A $30 plan that covers six clips is $5 a clip.
- Divide the two. $5 ÷ $3.20 = 1.56. That's how many times the model price you pay on that plan.
- Adjust for what's included. Failed renders, rollover, team seats, research, editing, publishing. A tool with a higher multiple can still be the better deal if it replaces three other subscriptions or saves you a day a week.
Here's that method on two made-up plans:
| Option | Price | 8-second Veo 3.1 clips it covers | Per clip | Times the model price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tool A | $30 a month | 6 | $5.00 | 1.6x |
| Tool B | $99 a month | 15 | $6.60 | 2.1x |
| Straight from the maker | Pay as you go | Any | $3.20 | 1.0x |
Tool B's plan looks bigger, but every clip on it costs about a third more than on Tool A. That's exactly what an allowance in made-up units hides.
Questions worth asking any AI video tool
- What does the model I want cost per second, and at what resolution?
- Do failed renders cost anything?
- Does unused allowance roll over, or does it expire at the end of the month?
- Is the exact price shown before I render?
- When a model maker cuts its price, does mine drop?
- Can I pick the model, or am I locked to one?
Where we landed
We used to mark models up too. Hermoso now runs every image, video and voice model at what the model maker charges: here's why we changed it. Plans are on the pricing page. If you're weighing tools, our guide to comparing AI ad generators covers everything beyond price, and what an AI video ad costs to make turns the table above into real budgets.
Questions people ask
Why are AI video generators so expensive?
Video models charge by the second of output, and a second of high-resolution video with sound takes a lot of computing. Veo 3.1 costs $0.40 a second at the source. Retakes, higher resolutions and the tool's own markup multiply that.
How much does Veo 3.1 cost per second?
As of October 2026, Google charges $0.40 a second for Veo 3.1 with sound, so an 8-second clip is $3.20. Veo 3.1 Fast is $0.10 a second and Veo 3.1 Lite $0.05.
What is an AI model markup?
The gap between what a tool charges you for a model run and what the model maker charges the tool. Charging $6.40 for a clip that costs $3.20 to run is a 2x markup.
How do I compare AI video generator pricing?
Pick one reference clip with the same model, length, resolution and sound. Work out its dollar cost on each plan by dividing the plan price by the number of those clips it covers, then divide by the model maker's price. The result is how many times the model price you pay.
Is it cheaper to use the model maker directly?
Per second, usually, unless the tool has no markup. But a raw clip still needs a script, brand assets, editing and a way to publish, so count your time as well.